WINES OF THE TIMES; Chenin Blancs From the Loire and Beyond

EVEN as august a body as the Dining section's wine panel can sometimes get mixed up. Or maybe it's just me. I was eagerly awaiting a tasting of Vouvrays, made from the versatile and vastly underrated chenin blanc grape. But when I arrived at the blind tasting, I discovered that nine of the bottles were chenin blancs from the United States and South Africa. I love chenin blancs from the Loire Valley, which can range from steely dry to lusciously sweet. But chenins from elsewhere? Their range is narrower, from unremarkable to insipid.

While my initial reaction was disappointment, we learned after tasting 24 bottles that maybe, just maybe, some very good chenin blanc could be made outside of France, particularly in South Africa. The selection included eight bottles from Vouvray, seven from other parts of the Loire Valley, four from California, three from South Africa and one each from Long Island and Washington State.

I was not fazed by the other French wines; they all came from the spiritual home of the chenin blanc grape, stretching along the Loire from Anjou-Saumur east to Vouvray and Montlouis. But I was not so sure about the other bottles. Though chenin blanc deserves the respect paid to other prestigious white grapes like chardonnay and riesling, it has mostly been used in the United States for making cheap, slightly sweet wines. In South Africa, where the chenin blanc is often called the steen, the wines I've tasted have not been very inspiring, either.

Nonetheless, when my colleague, Amanda Hesser, and I sat down with our two guest tasters, Roger Dagorn, sommelier at Chanterelle in TriBeCa, and Vanessa Treviño Boyd, sommelier at Morrells near Union Square, I felt enthused by the gorgeous spectrum of hues in front of us, ranging from platinum to pale straw to deep, rich gold.

''It's a grape that speaks about where it's coming from,'' she said. ''It's about place, not about ego.''

We all agreed that the best chenin blancs come from the Loire, though Vouvray and the other appellations there certainly make their share of insipid, mass-produced wines. And we shared the feeling that the grape was not taken seriously enough elsewhere. That might have been the last time we all agreed on anything.

Our top-rated wine, a 1996 Vouvray from Domaine d'Orfeuilles, which we gave three stars, was a demi-sec, meaning that its fermentation was stopped before all the grape sugar was converted to alcohol, leaving a small amount of residual sweetness.

It had almost everything I look for in a chenin blanc -- a rich, full texture, a balance of sweetness and acidity and a honeyed finish. Ms. Hesser found aromas of honey and pineapple, and Ms. Boyd liked its concentration and balance. But Mr. Dagorn was unimpressed, deriding the nose as murky and short.

His favorite wine, as it turned out, was not even French, but from California, a 1998 Robert Pecota, made from Monterey County grapes. He called it vibrant and concentrated. I've had this wine before and liked it very much, but this time, I found it unpleasantly vegetal.

''That was a real surprise,'' Mr. Dagorn said. ''But I think California has the potential to make good chenin blanc. But there is a stigma against it because of all those bad jug wines from the San Joaquin Valley made from chenin blanc.''

Sadly for Mr. Dagorn, Robert Pecota no longer makes chenin blanc, having eliminated it in order to concentrate on the perhaps more lucrative sauvignon blanc. Such is the plight of chenin blanc.

Ms. Hesser's favorite wine was also not French, but South African, the 2002 Vinum Africa from Stellenbosch. ''Both age and youth in the nose,'' she said. ''I got lots of licorice, which I liked.'' Mr. Dagorn and I both appreciated this wine, too, but not Ms. Boyd, who was disturbed by an absence of fruit and a presence of oak.

Ms. Boyd's favorite was the top-ranked '96 Domaine d'Orfeuilles. By the way, anytime you find a $13 bottle of white wine that's seven years old and still in great shape, you've got a pretty good deal. At that age, most California chardonnays, even at four times the price, are on their downhill slide and about to crash.

My favorites were both the Domaine d'Orfeuilles, and a 2001 François Chidaine Clos Habert from Montlouis, a village just across the Loire from Vouvray. I found this wine delicious, with a substantial nose. Ms. Hesser, though, skewed it as ''perfectly unremarkable.''

One of our few moments of consensus was on our best value, a 2002 Vouvray from Remy Pannier for $9, but we all seemed to like it for different reasons. Mr. Dagorn found it pleasant and refreshing, with aromas of apples, quince and honey. Ms. Hesser found it clean and vibrant, except for the finish, and she detected floral aromas. Ms. Boyd smelled peaches, and I liked its very long finish. Put it all together and you've got one complex wine.

In the end, seven of our top 10 wines were from the Loire, two were from South Africa, and one, the no-longer-produced Pecota, was from California. It might have been an all-French sweep, but we did not include any Savennières -- perhaps the best and the most expensive of the dry French chenin blancs -- nor did we include any sweet chenin blancs, which can be extraordinary. Still, it was good to see the South African wines crack the list, a pleasure, in fact, no matter how unexpected.

Bright, deep and well balanced, with a honeyed quality on the finish, Eric Asimov said. Amanda Hesser found it clean with strong, vivid acid, but said it was not easy drinking. Vanessa Treviño Boyd cited a good, chalky taste and liked the balance between fruit and minerality. Roger Dagorn was least impressed, calling the nose murky.

Boyd found lots of seductive aromas and liked the texture of the wine. Asimov found a thickness that he liked. Dagorn liked the wine, though he felt it lacked acidity. But Hesser called it heavily oaked and thoroughly unremarkable.

Subtle, spare and creamy, with a nice long finish, Hesser said. Dagorn liked the full nose, but felt it was tart on the palate. Asimov found it ultra dry, and thought it had depth and potential. But Boyd missed fruit aromas.

Dagorn called it pleasant and refreshing, with a richness not typical of chenin blanc. Asimov was struck by the length of the finish; Hesser said the finish tasted of cooked fruit, though she loved the freshness of the nose. Boyd found it simple, with flavors of peaches and apples.

Dagorn's favorite: he called it vibrant on the palate, and liked its aromas. Boyd liked its mineral qualities, though she found the nose a little odd. Hesser thought the wine was oxidized, and Asimov found it unpleasantly vegetal.

Character and a long finish, Hesser said. Asimov found a floral nose, a thick texture and pleasing suggestion of sweetness. Dagorn called it soft on the palate, with musky, spicy flavors. Boyd thought it lacked concentration.

Simonsig Stellenbosch 2002: $8 -- ** [Rating: two stars]

A little tropical, like an Austrian riesling, Boyd said. Dagorn described the nose as fat and liked the balance. Hesser called it delicate, with floral and citrus flavors, but said it needed more acidity. But Asimov found it unbalanced, with unpleasant baked fruit aromas.

Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg Sec 2000: $18 -- ** [Rating: two stars]

Plenty of citrus and honey, and very crisp, Hesser said. Boyd found it closed, but predicted it would come around with time. Dagorn termed it good, decent Vouvray. Asimov found it thin and watery.

Sauvion Vouvray Val de la Loire 2002: $8 -- ** [Rating: two stars]

Asimov found a floral, almost powdery quality, calling it light-bodied. Boyd liked the floral nose, and found good acidity and a good finish. Dagorn called it a little thin in the nose but liked the finish. Hesser found it well made.

Elegant and bright with a long finish, Hesser said. Asimov liked the dense nose but found the aromas more complex than the flavors. Boyd called it formulaic, and Dagorn found it fruity but not very expressive.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN

(None) Pass it by

* Passable

** Good

*** Excellent

**** Extraordinary

Ratings reflect the panel's reaction to the wines, which are tasted with names and vintages concealed. The panelists this week are Eric Asimov; Amanda Hesser; Roger Dagorn, the sommelier at Chanterelle in TriBeCa; and Vanessa Trevino Boyd, the sommelier at Morrells near Union Square. The wines tasted represent a selection generally available in good retail shops and restaurants. Prices are those paid in liquor shops in the New York region.

Tasting Coordinator: Bernard Kirsch

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